History & local legend
Joe Magarac is Pittsburgh’s larger-than-life steelworker, commemorated by the figure bending a beam at Gate 2 of the Edgar Thomson works. Mill folklore makes Joe a man of steel himself, strong enough to stir molten metal with his hands and squeeze it between his fingers into railroad rails.
One tale has a mill boss offer his daughter Mary’s hand to the winner of a weightlifting contest. Joe easily defeats the other competitors, including Mary’s sweetheart Pete Pussick. Realizing whom Mary wants to marry, he gives up the prize and sends the couple away together while he returns to work.
The endings of Joe’s story reflect that same devotion to steelmaking. In one, he melts himself down to produce an exceptional final batch. In another, he remains in an idle mill waiting for the furnaces to be lit again.
Sources
- Historical Marker Database, transcription and photographs of the Joe Magarac plaque and statue at Gate 2
- University Art Gallery, University of Pittsburgh, Joe Magarac Returns
- 90.5 WESA, Pittsburgh’s steel folk hero and his appearances in print and public art
- Library of Congress, Edgar Thomson Steel Works at Braddock, Detroit Publishing Company
